[ "Th-Thank you for saving me. But, based on what happened earlier, you are also…"
"I am the 'Witch of Wrath,' Minerva! A nobody doesn't need to state their name!" Having announced her title, it turned out she was indeed the Witch of Wrath, Minerva.
"But you just stated your name anyway!"
"In any case! Your wounds are healed! My task is done! You're not allowed to get so much as a bug bite anymore! That is a promise with a Witch!
"Don't just casually throw around promises with Witches! You have no idea how terrified I was!"
Hearing this, the Witch of Wrath, Minerva, let out a 'Hmph' and turned her head away, huffing. ]
.....
〜Inside, the Theater〜
"So that Witch's name is Minerva, the Witch of Wrath,"
Emilia said.
"How should I put it… to be polite, they all have very distinct personalities. To be blunt…"
Otto trailed off.
"They really are a bunch of eccentrics with incredible abilities, these Witches,"
Al said.
"Still, confirming that she's a Witch who doesn't harm people is a good thing in itself,"
Anastasia remarked.
—
[ "Ugh… I get it!" Subaru said.
Then, Minerva looked up at the sky, pointed a finger at Subaru, and said: "Listen well! If you learn your lesson, don't go reckless anymore! Next time, I'll 'heal you to death'!"
"Don't use such a threatening way of putting it…"
The next moment, the Witch of Wrath, Minerva, vanished, and Echidna returned once again.
Subaru looked at her and sighed.
"Seeing your face gives me a sense of relief, as I've returned home." ]
.....
〜Inside, the Theater〜
"I feel the same way,"
Otto said with a bitter smile.
"Though it pisses me off and I hate to admit it, this great self thought so too,"
Garfiel said.
"So… when will the Witch of Gluttony, the real Daphne, finally appear?"
Emilia asked.
The first time, they were interrupted by Typhon, the Witch of Pride. The second time, Minerva, the Witch of Wrath, appeared to save Subaru.
And now, Echidna, the Witch of Greed, was back.
—
[ "That evaluation makes me feel a bit complicated. I was actually a little flustered, worried I might never be able to speak with you again," Echidna said, twirling her long hair with a finger.
"Your advice was spot on. I almost lost my life and ended up with absolutely nothing to show for it… How pathetic."
"That couldn't be helped… Or rather, it's a more fundamental issue. My goal was to have you meet Daphne, but the moment I stepped back, Typhon took the initiative…"
"Huh? Wait, not Daphne, but Typhon?" Subaru was probably too confused while being torn apart to hear Typhon introduce herself.
"The first Witch who appeared by your side was Typhon… She is the 'Witch of Pride.' You should understand after talking to her; true to her name, she ran out solely because she wanted to see you." ]
.....
〜Inside, the Theater〜
"Speaking of Pride, it reminds me of that world where that guy called himself the Archbishop of Pride,"
Felt said. Then she added,
"So, when exactly are we going to see the Witch of Gluttony?"
—
[ "As for the one who saved you when you were on the verge of death, she already stated her name. She is the 'Witch of Wrath,' Minerva. Based on the classification I mentioned earlier, she is the 'safest' Witch for you."
"That… well, yeah… She's a new sensation, violent, tsundere, healing-type, well-endowed girl. Though thanks to her, I didn't die…" Subaru looked at the destruction Minerva had caused around them.
Echidna smiled bitterly and snapped her fingers, restoring the grassland to its original state.
"Shall we continue? I can assure you that this time, you won't be interrupted, and you will definitely meet Daphne. However… Daphne is even more dangerous than Typhon."
"If 'Wrath' is considered safe, then what is 'Pride'?"
"Typhon would be 'extremely dangerous.' Compared to Carmilla and Daphne, she is still relatively easy to talk to."
"Hearing you warn me like that makes me really need to think about this…" ]
.....
〜Inside, the Theater〜
"She really is a tough guest to invite,"
Al said, somewhat irritated.
Just how big of a deal was she to be this difficult to meet?
"By the way, just how terrifying is Daphne? The Witch of Greed has warned him more than once now that she's dangerous. And even more so than…"
Even more dangerous and harder to talk to than Typhon, who had literally shattered Natsuki-san into pieces.
Otto swallowed hard, feeling tense.
What kind of person could she possibly be?
—
[ "Your determination is firm. I understand. However, there is one thing I must make absolutely clear. You must never undo Daphne's restraints."
"Restraints…"
"Also, do not touch her. If possible, it is best not to make eye contact with her either."
"If I follow all of that, I'll just look like an incredibly rude guy!"
The next moment, Echidna vanished.
What would the long-foreshadowed Witch of Gluttony, Daphne, actually look like?
Subaru on the screen and everyone watching from the outside grew tense…
"Hey, now… this is a bit much, isn't it?" When the real Daphne appeared, Subaru couldn't help but speak out upon seeing her.
"What do you want to ask Daphne, Subaru?" ]
.....
〜Inside, the Theater〜
Subaru said this not because Daphne looked horrifyingly monstrous or possessed a bewitching beauty like Echidna's, but because she was incredibly bizarre.
Bizarre in the most literal sense.
Daphne's entire body was confined inside a black box that resembled a coffin… No, she was indeed locked inside a coffin.
Her body was tightly bound with chains and a straitjacket, and her eyes were covered by a black blindfold.
"Is that her?"
Wilhelm gritted his teeth, his sword aura surging.
When Daphne was mentioned earlier as the creator of the White Whale, Wilhelm hadn't reacted outwardly—or rather, he hadn't shown it on the surface—but his heart had been churning with emotion.
Now that he was actually looking at her, Wilhelm's anger was becoming difficult to suppress.
"Why does she look so strange? And… is this really the creator of the three great demon beasts that plagued the world?"
Otto was first baffled by her appearance, then spoke in a low voice.
"The White Whale, the Great Rabbit, the Black Snake… the creator of the Three Great Demon Beasts."
Julius knit his brows.
Due to the immense suffering these three demon beasts had brought upon the world, most of the people present held no goodwill toward her.
—
[ "Dona-Dona let Daphne out, so Daphne came out. But Daphne was sleeping so soundly… Daphne doesn't want to stay awake for too long, so don't say anything boring, okay?" Daphne spoke, looking rather drowsy.
"Oh, uh, thank you for coming all this way. But hearing you speak, you seem less like 'Gluttony' and more like 'Sloth'… Are you really the 'Witch of Gluttony'?" Subaru took half a step toward Daphne.
Unlike how he stubbornly refused to thank Echidna, this time Subaru said thank you right from the start.
It seemed Subaru was starting to be cautious and mindful of his words. ]
.....